Monday, April 19, 2010

Once again, a big thank you to the readers who chimed in on this morning's post. It's absolutely refreshing to read thoughtful and usually fair comments that don't reduce a complex discussion to its lowest common denominator. I'm very grateful.

Now, as a reward, some links (many of which do not involve Zach Mettenberger)...

-- David Ching writes that this decision had to be particularly difficult for Mark Richt to make. Given how hard I know the situation with Montez Robinson was for him, April has probably been an awfully trying month for the Richt household.

-- Bernie was rummaging through my archives and came across a rather poignant quote from Mettenberger from last spring.

-- Dancing in the End Zone wonders about a question that did cross my mind, too: Should we read more into Mettenberger playing exclusively with the No. 2 offense on G-Day now that he has been dismissed? It's a hypothesis that has some legs for those conspiracy theorists who choose to believe, but I still find it hard to believe Richt keeps anyone around for a few practices if he knows the end result is a dismissal. My guess, given how cautious Richt was to say it would be "at least a one-game suspension," is Richt had an idea more might be coming but was not aware of the severity until the last few days.

-- Dawg Stephen addresses one of those elephants in the room that gets swept under the rug a bit because it's so pervasive an issue: Alcohol is the common factor in virtually every one of Georgia's non-scooter offenses of late.

-- The AJC talks to Hutson Mason about what Mettenberger's dismissal could mean for his future when he finally arrives in Athens this June. Mason was close with Mettenberger -- as he told us a few months ago -- so I can only imagine talking about the issue is tough. Still, you have to love hearing a kid his age offer such a mature response as this:

“Once you get to college it’s kind of a job. Every single player in college football is out for themselves. So now it just opens up a door for me. It opens up a door for Aaron. It opens up a door for Logan.”

-- One day before the QB battle got less interesting, Ben Dukes wrote a particularly interesting -- and fair -- piece on how much fans may have undervaluedJoe Cox last year.

Most regular readers know I was probably one of the most vocal advocates for Joe last year -- through much of the season at least... there's only so much that can be said about the Kentucky game -- and I think Ben does a nice job of illustrating that the problem wasn't so much that Cox didn't meet expectations, it's that expectations were set too high.

-- How about some news that doesn't involve off-field problems? I had a story in Sunday's Telegraph on the essential role that offseason workouts will play in getting the defense ready for the fall.

-- Some interesting thoughts from Vince Dooleyon the NFL future of Tim Tebow over at the Legends Poll.

“He’ll have to get with the right coach and the right team, and I think that it might marry that way,” Dooley said. “Maybe, on paper, some will ask some questions about him being drafted high, but those that really know him will go ahead and do it despite the fact that, on paper, he might not be the model of who is a first-round quarterback draft choice.”

-- Cinematical has a list of the best comedy movies centered around dead bodies. What, no love for "Weekend at Bernie's 2"? The body had a voodoo curse put on it that made it dance to island music and lead criminals to a sunken treasure? How can it get any better than that?!?!?

(*Note: I've had heated arguments as to which was the more absurd story line for a movie: "Bernie's 2" or "Roadhouse." Both great films, so hard to pick one. But for fun, try explaining the plot of each to someone who has never seen either movie. It's really an enjoyable experience.)

-- And finally, here's a great story on former Seattle Mariners pitcher Brian Holman, who 20 years ago this week lost a perfect game to the final batter he faced. And who was that batter? Well, George Steinbrenner's baseball people thought it would be wise to trade Jay Buhner for him.

9 comments:

I'm sure someone has said this already, but weren't we all pulling for Murray all through the time leading up to the G-Day game? Sure, Mett had some good stats, but come on, Murray is the man. Yeah he had a bad G-Day, but think about last spring... I for one thought he was one of the best out there. Just sayin'... One bad PRACTICE doesn't foretell an entire season!

I'd just like to second David's note of thanks for helping to make his blog a place where grownups can congregate and talk about UGA football. I think he sets the tone with his writing, and fans of other teams seem to keep their distance (after all, it does require a commitment to keep up with this guy). But for the most part, even when I get a little irritated when people want microwave-fast movement on things that take time, I find this to be a place where I don't have to wade through a lot of idiocy to learn more about the team. Thanks David, and thanks readers.

I can't recall where exactly, but sometime in the last 24 hours I read that Branden Smith took some snaps at QB this spring. However, I believe the coaches told you he wasn't working with the offense. Do you know if there is any truth to this?

Could be true, Carter. Last I talked to Branden was the Saturday before G-Day, so I'm not entirely sure what he might have done during the final week of practice. Certainly possible he worked a bit with the offense.

Flashdance has a pretty ridiculous plotline as well...a beautiful female welder by day, a beautiful stripper by night. Also trying to be a legitimate professional dancer, has an elderly fairy godmother who knows how to give her the guidance to achieve her dreams. Oh and don't forget about the really rich boyfriend who accepts her just as she is.

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About the Author

Seth Emerson has been covering the SEC and Georgia (on and off) since 2002. He worked at the Albany Herald from 2002-05, then spent five years at The State in Columbia, S.C., covering South Carolina. He returned to Athens in August of 2010, only to find that David Pollack and David Greene were no longer playing for the Bulldogs. Adjustments were made.

Emerson is originally from Silver Spring, Md., and graduated from Maryland in 1998 with a degree in journalism and a minor in getting lost on the way to practically everywhere. Then he spent four years at The Washington Post, covering small colleges, a couple NCAA basketball tournaments, and on one glorious day, was yelled at by Tony Kornheiser. It was probably at The Post that he also learned to write in the third person.

These days he lives in Athens with his beloved and somewhat wimpy dog, Archie. Together they fight crime at night in northeast Georgia, except on nights there is no crime, in which case they sit at home, sip on white wine and watch reruns of "Mad Men."